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Weight-don't push the bleeding limit.
Practical Weight considerations for Rookie Teams!
A Note from a Veteran:
If your 'bot weighs 130.0 lbs, my suggestion is to get it down to
129.5 lbs. The difference is small, but the difference between your shipping scale and the USFIRST shipping scale could be the difference between 1/2 pound (about 0.5%)
According to the rule books, the USFIRST scale at checkin is the "absolute" authority, so if you are 0.1 lbs over, they will not let you compete until you are 130.0 lbs by THEIR scale. There is NO debating with the officials about the accurracy of their scale at the competition. NONE!
If you want to live on the bleeding edge of a 0.5% margin of error, then show up with a 'bot at 130.0 and bring power tools for cutting.
Rookie teams should probably bring their 'bot in at 129.5 lbs. Use a recently certified shipping scale that has a weighing platform at least as big as your robot is. The shipping scale will be a monster! Bathroom scales will give you false readings.
Neill Means
Team 933
P.S. Do you know that Earth's gravity changes according to where you are in the world? So, different masses (your robot) can have different weights in different parts of the world (small differences).
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